Death penalty, capital punishment or execution is a death punishment sanctioned by government. The sentence is called a death sentence. Any crime which results in a death penalty is known as a capital offence or capital crime, such like terrorism, first-degree murder and spying. The term capital comes from capitalis in Latin, which means “regarding the head” (denoting the death sentence by beheading). Amongst many methods of execution the most widely practiced form of capital punishment is hanging.
Here we have gathered some interesting death penalty facts from around the world.
Death Penalty Facts:
- 36 countries actively carry out death penalty as a capital punishment.
- 103 countries have totally abolished death penalty.
- 6 countries have abolished it using it for special conditions like war crimes.
- One of the amazing death penalty fact is 50 countries have not used it for last 10 years.
- Except for the United States none of the other western countries practice death penalty anymore.
- Nearly every country in the world has prohibited the execution of those who are below the age of 18 at the time of the crime.
- At least 1 out of 25 people sentenced to the capital punishment in the U.S. are not guilty.
- A death penalty trial is 20 times more costly than other trials such as life imprisonment without parole.
- In U.S. death penalty is legal in 32 states.
- A greater part of the U.S. public prefers other alternatives over death penalty as the right punishment for murder.
- Around 1,394 people have been executed since 1976, when death penalty was re-established by the U.S. Supreme Court.
- In the UK death penalty is forbidden partially because a convict was wrongfully executed in 1950 for the murder of his daughter and wife.
- In Singapore drug trafficking and possession is punished with death penalty.
- In China employees can be sentenced to death penalty for committing fraud.
- In North Korea people can be punished with death penalty for watching South-Korean movies, dealing in pornography and even for possessing Bibles.
- In Sudan crucifixion is still a common form of death penalty.
- China implements death penalty 4 times more than the rest of the world.
- AÂ 14 year old African-American was executed in the U.S. in the year 1944 after a rapid 2 hour trial with diminutive evidence.
- Saudi Arabia, a member of the U.N. Human Rights Council, punished 2,000 people with the death penalty since 1985.
- In England vagabonds were punished with 2 years of servitude for first offence and for the second offence they were punished with death penalty in the 16th century.
- The state of Washington still executes convicts by hanging.
- A Chinese company used skin gathered from the cadavers of executed criminals to create beauty products in 2005.
- One of the interesting death penalty fact is Nike’s famous slogan “Just do it” is inspired by the final words of a convict about to be executed.
- Another interesting death penalty fact is that 13 countries still punish agnosticism with death penalty.
- Bill Cosby spoke out against death penalty punishment for the man who killed his own son by shooting him.
- Many countries have put an end to the punishment of death penalty. Few exceptions include Japan, China and the U.S.
- Venezuela was the first modern country which abolished death penalty in 1863for all crimes.
- In Ancient Egypt, killing a cat was considered a crime even if it was an accident; it was punished with the death penalty.
- Convicts punished with the death penalty were afterwards pardoned by the U.S.
- 6 out 10 Americans actually favor the sentence of death penalty for condemned murderers.
- In Egypt 84% of the people are in favor of death penalty as a penalty for abandoning Islam.
- The punishment for killing you own father was death penalty, in Ancient Rome.
- In Texas, an innocent man was given the punishment of death penalty in 1989 as the jury confused him for someone else with the same looks, name and height.
- Nepal is the first country in Asia to outlaw death penalty.
- In China mobile “execution vans” are used to implement the death penalty without actually going to an execution ground.
- Pie, cake and ice cream are the most popular desserts for last meal, according to a Death Row study.
- The U.S. ranked 5th for the maximum number of executions.
- China keeps their execution numbers undisclosed.
- After a long hiatus in 2012 executions in Japan increased.
- Last year, 21 countries carried out the death penalty worldwide.
In the past, death penalty was practiced by most societies, to punish political and religious dissidents as well as criminals. Historically, often death penalty was accompanied by torment and executions were made public to set an example for the society.
Death penalty is a topic of active debate in several countries and states, and the point-of-view varies within a specific cultural regions and political ideologies.